JAKARTA, JAKTIMES.COM- A cultural procession from the National Monument (Monas) to the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on August 17, 2023, marked the beginning of the festivities commemorating the 78th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia. Unlike previous years, this year’s cultural procession had a longer route and duration.
The cultural procession commenced with the presentation of a replica of the Red and White flag and the original text of the proclamation in the Independence Room of the National Monument, by the Secretary of the Presidential Secretariat, Heru Budi Hartono, to the Duta Pancasila Paskibraka Team.
The replica of the Red and White flag was carried by Ghania Taufiqa Salma Wibowo, representing the Special Region of Yogyakarta, who had participated in the Paskibraka event in 2022. Meanwhile, the original text of the proclamation was carried by Ayumi Putri Sasaki, also from the 2022 Paskibraka event, representing East Java Province.
Both individuals headed towards the Merdeka Palace aboard the Kereta Kencana Ki Jaga Rasa, accompanied by the TNI-Polri marching band, the Satria Nusantara unit of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres), the Indonesian Pertiwi Berkebaya Unit, representatives of the Nusantara Kings from all 38 provinces across Indonesia, as well as representatives of middle and high school students dressed in traditional Nusantara attire.
The route taken by this year’s cultural procession also differed from the previous year’s. This time, the procession passed through the route from the Monas Goblet to the Horse Statue, then turned right onto Medan Merdeka Barat Street, heading towards the Merdeka Palace.
Upon arriving at the Merdeka Palace, the Duta Pancasila Paskibraka Team disembarked from the Kereta Kencana Ki Jaga Rasa. They then handed over the replica of the Red and White flag and the original text of the proclamation to be placed on the honor podium.
In addition to the cultural procession, the series of events commemorating the 78th Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence were enlivened by various art and cultural performances. These included regional songs, the Abang None Jakarta dance representing the Nusantara, the Bumi Aekhula dance from West Nias Regency, and the Cetik Kipas Melinting dance from Lampung Province (Mutma).
